The clock has turned out to be a bit of a
"consciousness test". The clock is displayed in a prominent position in
our entry hall. Only one in 30 new visitors (mostly my kid’s friends) notices
that it’s there. The following comments have been received.

BIZARRE COMMENTS

- "What color are you going to paint it?" (Mother in-law).
- "I'm sure you can buy another one." The escapement took three
months to build and broke when a bicycle fell on it. (A
mother from our school who believes that any problem can be solved with a
credit card).
- "That's nice. Where do the batteries go?" (Another
Mother from the school).- "Where does the cuckoo bird come out?"(Another mother).

- "Yeah. I've already seen one of those at a
Pemberton gallery." (You guessed it, another mother).- "Nice. So what kit did you assemble from?"
(Next door neighbour.)

- "You could display it at a craft fair. You know the ones they have every
week end in car parks." (Brother in-law).
- "I'm sorry sir. I only value recognized brands 'Yah, Sniff'. Maybe a craft dealer could provide an estimate"
(Internationally renowned clock valuation expert).
- "Have you seen the clock in the reception area Elyne?
No! That's nice. That corner needed some decorating" I displayed the clock
at work for one day. (Female Engineer.)
- "Could you make me a small wall clock? It should take you less than 1/4
of the time it took you to build the big one." (Sister
in law).

- "Could you find some drawings for the clock, some where? I would like to build one too." (Drunk uncle).

- "The wood you have used to make the clock is reconstituted chip
board. I know! It's the stuff they make packing cases out of. You can't fool
me, it's chip board!" (Brother in-law's friend).

NEGATIVE COMMENTSReceived many negative comments from work
colleagues.

POSITIVE COMMENTS

- " I've been in the business for over twenty
years and occasionally you get to value some outstanding pieces. This is one of
those". (Insurance valuer).
- Out of over 100 people that have seen the clock only two have understood the
effort required to design and build the clock. Both were mathematicians.

END of LIFE CRISIS

- Every few months I receive an email from someone with same story.
“I’ve recently retired and I would like to make something to leave my
family (Before I die)". .
- This is called the end of life crisis. I had my end of life crisis when I was
40 and I vaguely remember having my mid life crisis when I was 14 where I was
overcome with a desire to wear gold chains, drive red sports cars and date
women 20 years younger.